Beyond The Health Benefits: 10 things You Should Know About Water

March 22, 2018 by Krista Goncalves

Water is the foundation and truly the lifeblood of our health.

It is essential to sustain life, and assists in everything from our digestion to brain function. But, there are a lot of surprising ways water can help us maintain our health that we’ve maybe never considered.

Here are 10 things to know about how water keeps us healthy and how you can keep our drinking water safe:

Say goodbye to 8 cups a day

So how much water do we really need to drink? Gone are the days of the “8 cups of water per day” rule.

In fact, the Dietitians of Canada recommend approximately 12 cups (3 L) for men over 19 and ~9 cups (2.2 L) daily for women over 19 years of age. However, this is the total recommended fluid intake which includes other beverages as well as high-water-content fruits and vegetables.

While this is a good guideline to start with, it’s also important to note that factors such as activity level and humid climates will increase our need for water.

As we lose more sweat with activity and in warmer temperatures, it’s important to replace the fluid in our body more frequently.

The other major concern with bottled water is the plastic packaging which often contains harmful chemicals such as phthalates; an endocrine disruptor that has documented negative effects on our health and hormones.

The bottom line on bottled water: Bottled water isn’t any safer than tap water. Save your dollars and use a reusable, preferably glass vessel to fill up and drink from, and to keep the environment – and your health safe.

You can go too neutral

While there can be significant benefits of alkaline drinking water for some, there can also be negative side effects for others.

Drinking water with a higher pH level changes the stomach’s natural acidity. This change of stomach acidity can lead to a condition called alkalosis. Side effects this condition can include nausea, vomiting, muscle twitching, and extreme confusion.

Check with your Naturopath to decide if alkaline water would be a helpful addition to your health routine.

Float your worries away

You don’t always have to drink your water to receive health benefits from it! Floatation therapy is a growing trend citing benefits from improved creativity to stress reduction.

A typical floatation therapy session involves entering a sensory deprivation chamber filled with water and an abundance of medical grade Epsom salts. Participants put in earplugs and then simply lie back and relax.

After a typical 60-90 minute session, participants report a significant reduction of stress.

Our water sources are on the decline

It’s easy to take our drinking water for granted when we can literally just go to our tap and get fresh water on demand.

However, our water sources are becoming increasingly more limited and contaminated on a global level. Without change, we run the risk of relying on polluted drinking water that can make us sick.

We can do our part to keep our water safe by reducing or eliminating widely used chemicals such as fertilizer and toxic cleaning products in our homes.

Regular car maintenance can also eliminate oil and antifreeze leaks that run off into our water system.

Small changes to our lifestyle can help us maintain the safe drinking water that does so much to keep us healthy.

Stop the salt insanity!

Every winter, folks in colder climates salt their roads, sidewalks, and driveways to prevent slips and falls.

While this may be good for keeping us upright as we navigate the icy conditions, this salt doesn’t just disappear into thin air. It ends up in our lakes and streams AND our drinking water.

The consequence? High amounts of salt in our water can harm or even kill aquatic animals and plants which affects overall water quality. In addition to this, drinking water with a higher salt content can be dangerous for those with hypertension.

To reduce the harm to our water supply, use salt more sparingly if not at all. In cooler temperatures (-10C or lower) try switching to sand instead.

Hopefully, we’ve shed some light on all the ways water touches our life, our environment, and its health benefits.